A very sensible post, and I agree fully. I don't care what people say about manuals and like I mentioned, it will 99% be the DCT, I just want to experience what the hype is all about...unless Harris and the likes are right and it blows me away, with the info I have, I don't see myself getting the manual.

Please do share your experience when you drive the manual. I'm also on the fence where my heart wants a manual but having a racetrack nearby and no winding roads I'll probably spend most of my fun time there hence my mind tells me to go DCT. Also there are no manual M2/3/4s here in Poland to test, I've checked most of the dealers, local forum and even the used car market - nada No love for manuals in PL.
I'm a bit afraid to choose a manual (although it would be unique then in PL) while going to track. I'm not that experienced although I love to row the gears in Assetto Corsa where I practice with the 1M on Tor Poznan.
Artemis and Automann YT videos suggest that manual seems to crackle and pop a bit more with MPE than DCT which would also be a plus for me.

My preference for an MT has nothing to do with "real man" issues. It has everything to do with the connection between man and machine a good manual set-up affords, and a DCT cannot.

It's harder to drive an MT on the track these days. That challenge is also part of the attraction.

I've got a fast car with the paddles, and it's very efficient. The reality is, though, that after awhile I find myself just driving it as a full auto, more and more. Can't do that with an MT, which is great.

One thing that surprised me with the 6MT is how short 1st gear is. I almost want to start in 2nd gear every time, so I'm also interested to hear a few DCT owner reviews that have come from the F8x generation M's.

If this were my decision, especially for the wife, I would go DCT.

On the DCT it doesn't feel like the m2 wants to be in 1st for very long. Feels a little rough in 1st actually. Like a pitbull trying to tiptoe.

I have the 6MT. I simply enjoy the motions of clutching and shifting, no other reason. But I do have to admit, as time goes by and manuals become more rare, that there is a certain satisfaction to being a Luddite in a modern world.

my last four cars have had a manual transmission and it's my preference.

that said, I still picked the DCT in my M2 because I've never owned a car with a DCT so I wanted to see what all the fuss is about. it's a brilliant transmission. since it's my warm-season daily driver, the auto mode is nice for commuting/traffic. the instant shifts and no drop in boost between shifts makes this thing a rocket out of corners when I go on spirited drives with a local car group. I think I'd be happy with either transmission in this car

BMW don't invest on purpose in the development of the manual transmission, almost to convince you to spend for the DCT (4.040 Euro here in Italy). I got the DCT and I'm happy for this but I would have preferred a better MT to chose for that.

I owned a GT4 and the manual tranny on that car is beyond what BMW could ever dream of replicating. The only other car in world that has same level of feel is the 911R.

That being said the M2 is NOT about emissions or simple drag times its praised for its driving engagement and going back to the roots of what made the M car an M which these last few gens felt like it stood more for Marketing than Motorsports.

This is also apparently the last Manual option M car which makes it even more special with the future going all DCT and electric.

If you want to truly enjoy the essence of the car I would get manual. If you want something comfortable and easy to drive for your wife get DCT.

I had a test drive in the DCT. In Auto mode it was very disappointing. Worse than my auto tiptronic Subaru. Gears where changing too early and it never seemed to be it the right gear. In manual mode the gear changes were fast and the car was much better to drive. Even though it was great to drive in manual mode I didn't enjoy it as much as driving my manual 135i. To me there was not too much difference between the DCT and a good tiptronic auto gear box.

I bought the 6mt and I've now had it for a week. I am happy I chose the manual. Now that I have driven both, for me there is no comparison between the DCT and the 6MT. I enjoy driving witn a 6mt as I feel more connected and more in control the car. I've got no complaints with the 6MT in the M2. Yes the clutch travel could be shorter however I'm used to it now. I will probably do the clutch stop mod that I also have on my 135i.

I have the 6MT. I simply enjoy the motions of clutching and shifting, no other reason. But I do have to admit, as time goes by and manuals become more rare, that there is a certain satisfaction to being a Luddite in a modern world.

+1

I have driven manuals for 30 years and just enjoy the interaction with the car. I've had my 2017 M2 manual for just over a week and I am quite pleased. Manuals are going away, so I will continue to buy and enjoy while they last.

I had a test drive in the DCT. In Auto mode it was very disappointing. Worse than my auto tiptronic Subaru. Gears where changing too early and it never seemed to be it the right gear. In manual mode the gear changes were fast and the car was much better to drive. Even though it was great to drive in manual mode I didn't enjoy it as much as driving my manual 135i. To me there was not too much difference between the DCT and a good tiptronic auto gear box.

I bought the 6mt and I've now had it for a week. I am happy I chose the manual. Now that I have driven both, for me there is no comparison between the DCT and the 6MT. I enjoy driving witn a 6mt as I feel more connected and more in control the car. I've got no complaints with the 6MT in the M2. Yes the clutch travel could be shorter however I'm used to it now. I will probably do the clutch stop mod that I also have on my 135i.

You mean sport +? The shifts with DCT in sport + are way to aggressive and disturb the balance and traction of the car... I did not like the settings of the DCT in sport +!

Then go sport. I use sport for DD and sport + on the track. It's no PDK, but I don't find it intrusive either. I don't quite get how it upsets the balance of the car, it's not like you shift in the middle of a corner.

My preference for an MT has nothing to do with "real man" issues. It has everything to do with the connection between man and machine a good manual set-up affords, and a DCT cannot.

It's harder to drive an MT on the track these days. That challenge is also part of the attraction.

I've got a fast car with the paddles, and it's very efficient. The reality is, though, that after awhile I find myself just driving it as a full auto, more and more. Can't do that with an MT, which is great.

100% my thoughts and experience with driving a DCT/PDK/S-Tronic/DKG.... If the M2 was only available with DCT I would also bought it, but I bought the manual...because I could choose.

But.....and a big but! After driving my manual M2 for 1.500km I have come to the conclusion that the feel and travel lengt of the M2 clutch is the worst I have ever experienced in any BMW I have driven or any sporty car...and I have driven a lot of fast "manual" cars in my 20 years of driving. In my opinion the clutch is the biggest downside of the M2... There are other small downsides, but nothing this noticeable or worth complaining about.
Going to do the UCP clutch mod and hope for some improvement. NO don't mention the clutch stop fitting. That feature is only useful for the end of the clutch travel (when pushing down the clutch)... I have zero problem with that! My problem is with the beginning of the clutch (the last piece of clutch travel when the pedal is at his highest point and fully engaged or almost engaged).

Then go sport. I use sport for DD and sport + on the track. It's no PDK, but I don't find it intrusive either. I don't quite get how it upsets the balance of the car, it's not like you shift in the middle of a corner.

If the pavement is a little slippery or even in a straight line on dry tarmac it makes the car lose a little traction in sport + with DCT. Sport is indeed the best quality in DCT shifting...shame the MDM mode can not be activated then, but not the end of the world.

100% my thoughts and experience with driving a DCT/PDK/S-Tronic/DKG.... If the M2 was only available with DCT I would also bought it, but I bought the manual...because I could choose.

But.....and a big but! After driving my manual M2 for 1.500km I have come to the conclusion that the feel and travel lengt of the M2 clutch is the worst I have ever experienced in any BMW I have driven or any sporty car...and I have driven a lot of fast "manual" cars in my 20 years of driving. In my opinion the clutch is the biggest downside of the M2... There are other small downsides, but nothing this noticeable or worth complaining about. Going to do the UCP clutch mod and hope for some improvement. NO don't mention the clutch stop fitting. That feature is only useful for the end of the clutch travel (when pushing down the clutch)... I have zero problem with that! My problem is with the beginning of the clutch (the last piece of clutch travel when the pedal is at his highest point and fully engaged or almost engaged).

Let us know what you think of the UCP. For me, it stiffened the pedal, shortened the throw and put the release point where I like it. It goes hand in hand with an SSK, as well, if you are so inclined...

If the pavement is a little slippery or even in a straight line on dry tarmac it makes the car lose a little traction in sport + with DCT. Sport is indeed the best quality in DCT shifting...shame the MDM mode can not be activated then, but not the end of the world.

Interesting, I've yet to experience any major slipping. There's a little bit of wheel spin in the lower gears but nothing that would cause any drama. Guess the modded folks would experience more of that.

Let us know what you think of the UCP. For me, it stiffened the pedal, shortened the throw and put the release point where I like it. It goes hand in hand with an SSK, as well, if you are so inclined...

So if one was looking to test drive both a 6MT BMW and a DCT BMW, what cars should one be looking to drive to find a version of those transmissions that is as similar as possible to what's in the M2?

Obviously DCT is only really found in M-cars, right?
Is the 6MT in any old 2/3/4er the same as what you get in an M2 (maybe minus the rev-matching)?

I'm looking at trying to put in an order for a car, but I'm up in the air about waiting for an LCI (I really like tech and going to LED headlights & taillights would be enough to make me wait), and I'm up in the air on the transmission choice. My current car is a 6MT, but I think it's a pretty bad 6MT, and it has a similar "problem" to the M2 (6th gear is too short, it turns ~3000 RPM at 70-75 MPH and causes drone), and just like the M2, you lose a fair amount of boost between shifts.

My previous car was a dual-clutch, but it was VW dual-clutch which behaves somewhat differently from the M-DCT. (VW dual-clutch is a wet-clutch box and auto-creeps when you lift off the brake, fairly different from what I've read about M-DCT.)

Since my current 6MT is rather pants, it's making the decision very difficult. Part of me is screaming that I should go DCT for the extra gear and the stay-in-boost shifts (I will definitely have it at a few track days and possibly autocross), another part of me wants to stick with 6MT because I do enjoy the "engagement" of rowing gears, but only if the transmission is decent. I'm getting tired of the somewhat crap 6MT in this Audi.